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Funstock, a store known for carrying the Evercade, Super Pocket, and game cartridges used with both systems, announced it will pause all US orders and may experience issues with pre-orders as a result of the tariffs instituted by President Donald Trump. While other stores such as Amazon can carry these Blaze Entertainment consoles, handhelds, and cartridges, the retailers often don’t often pre-orders and may take longer to get the products. While all pre-orders for customers in the US that haven’t shipped are affected, the pause will start on April 28, 2025. This only affects the United States, and not other North American countries like Canada. 

In the statement about the situation, Funstock said this change is completely due to the Trump tariffs being inflicted and to potentially prevent “unexpected charges.” It also noted this is the first preliminary action ahead of more definite ones following further US government decisions. 

For new purchases, people in the US won’t be able to make any pre-orders or buy in-stock items starting on April 28, 2025. This means someone could place an order now for any of the Evercade systems, accessories, cartridges, or Super Pocket items. If it is in-stock, it will ship as normal. If it isn’t, then it will fall into the uncertain pre-order state. 

With existing orders, it’s more uncertain what will happen with things. Funstock said more concrete answers will come by June 17, 2025 as the store isn’t sure how Trump tariffs will affect those. 

This comes alongside some major Evercade releases. For example, at the end of 2024 the Legacy of Kain Collectionappeared. A Broken Sword Collection followed that. New Super Pocket NeoGeo and Data East handhelds are coming in June 2025, as is a NeoGeo Arcade 1 cartridge in July 2025.

The Funstock US pre-order and purchase pause for US orders on items like the Evercade consoles and games at the online store due to Trump tariffs starts on April 28, 2025. 

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Blaze Entertainment shared an Evercade Showcase going over 2025 titles and additions, and among them are cartridges with NeoGeo arcade games and Windjammer. There will also be two new Super Pocket models, with one that has Data East games built into it and another with NeoGeo ones. As a reminder, those can play Evercade cartridges. All Evercade cartridges are compatible with the handheld and console.

Pre-orders for the Super Pocket Data East edition open on April 1, 2025. That costs $59 and includes 18 games. It’s expected to debut sometime in June 2025. 

Here’s the full list of its games:

• B-Wings 
• Bad Dudes vs. Dragon Ninja 
• BreakThru 
• BurgerTime 
• Burnin' Rubber 
• Chain Reaction 
• Crude Buster 
• Gate of Doom (Dark Seal) 
• Joe & Mac Returns 
• Joe & Mac: Caveman Ninja 
• Karate Champ 
• Lock 'n' Chase 
• Peter Pepper's Ice Cream Factory 
• Spinmaster 
• Super BurgerTime 
• Edward Randy 
• Tumblepop 
• Wizard Fire (Dark Seal II) 

There’s also a trailer focused entirely on it:

In the case of NeoGeo Arcade 1, you get six games on an Evercade cartridge. These are the arcade versions of Ironclad, The King of Fighters 2000, Magician Lord, Metal Slug, Sengoku, and Shock Troopers. Basically, it’s a solid mix of action, run-and-gun, shoot’em up, and fighters. Pre-orders for it open on May 1, 2025, and it ships in July 2025. 

That trailer is below as well:

The matching NeoGeo Super Pocket features more games included. You get 14 total. Like the Data East one, it costs $59. Pre-orders open on April 1, 2025, and it debuts in June 2025. 

Here’s the list of its games:

• Alpha Mission II
• Blazing Star
• Fatal Fury Special
• King of the Monsters 2: The Next
• The Last Blade
• Last Resort
• Metal Slug X
• Mutation Nation
• Overtop
• Samurai Shodown II
• Sengoku 3
• Shock Troopers 2nd Squad
• Soccer Brawl
• Top Hunter Roddy and Cathy

Here’s its trailer:

The final two cartridges from the Evercade March 2025 showcase are Gremlin Collection 2 and Windjammers, Karnov, and Friends. The Gremlin games on the one cart are Buggy, Hogs of War, Loaded, and Re-Loaded. As for the other cartridge, you get Atomic Runner Chelnov, Karnov, Rohga: Armor Force, Vapor Trail: Hyper Offence Formation, and Windjammers. Pre-orders for both open on April 1, 2025, ahead of their June 2025 debut. 

Here’s the full showcase:

The Evercade Alpha, EXP-R, and VS-R, as well as some Super Pocket models, are available now worldwide.

The post New Evercade Games Include NeoGeo Arcade, Windjammers appeared first on Siliconera.

Blaze Entertainment continues to its Evercade ecosystem of devices with new cartridges, supplementing the library of licensed retro games with even more weirdness! We’ve been able to check out the 10 latest releases, so we can let you know what’s worth checking out and why!

The heavy hitters: Tomb Raider and Legacy of Kain 6b1v2a

Tomb Raider has served as Blaze’s cornerstone release of the year, with the collection of three PS1 games included in the bundles for both the EXP-R and VS-R hardware revisions. Lara Croft might be the most recognizable mascot character it could hope to license, and even the earliest games in the franchise are more sweeping adventures than have been available in the Evercade’s quick-fun-focused selection. (It also probably didn’t hurt that Tomb Raider began its life at British studio Core Design; Blaze has shown a lot of love for its home.)

Blaze connected with Crystal Dynamics a second time, too, licensing Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain and Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver for a dual-pack. Of all five of these games, action-platformer Soul Reaver definitely holds up best for first-time players. The late-’90s theming that tries a bit too hard aside, the traversal and combat controls work totally fine today and it’s worth a play for Evercade owners! These two releases are the start of the “Giga Cart” line for the company. Essentially, these are cartridges with a slight price bump in exchange for higher storage capacity. That seems fine with us! Though we’re sure these games weren’t the cheapest to license either, and maybe that helps bring more publishers to the platform.

Japanese publishers redux: Sunsoft and Data East Collections 1jrh

Sunsoft Collection 2 arguably bests the first release’s lineup, starring NES platformer Ufouria: The Saga and Game Boy Color gem Blaster Master: Enemy Below. It even throws in some Evercade-signature weirdos, like head-to-head fighter Galaxy Fight and surprisingly compelling Game Boy puzzler Pri Pri Primitive Princess!, which in aggregate we think outweighs the first’s Mr. Gimmick.

We spent a lot of time playing Ufouria on this collection — it’s a great game — and were reminded how PAL games can cause some display issues due to their different resolution. As it stands, they’re stretched wider than they should be, and we wish there were a display option to force 4-by-3 and remedy this. Seems doable in a firmware update, right, Blaze?

Data East Arcade 2 offers a handful of fun Tate Mode options, as well as some great co-op beat-’em-ups. Edward Randy is a blast with unlimited credits, and stars an action hero that definitely isn’t Indiana Jones and why would you even bring that up? Trio The Punch brings a different sort of feel to the genre, with lots of super-short levels. Joe & Mac Returns tries a single-screen take on the caveman game, and can be fun to work through with a friend.

We have games at home: Piko Collection 4 1m4x62

Piko Interactive has embraced its niche of picking up licenses for games that feel like store-brand takes on big releases. But on Evercade, where their first-party siblings are likely never going to appear? That’s kind of appealing. Without Mario Kart, you may actually want to play Street Racer. Without a big-name puzzler, it doesn’t hurt to have Mermaids of Atlantis on the menu. Star X may be missing that F and O you’d want in the title, but it’s as close as you’re going to get here.

The centerpiece of this cart is Glover. We have a soft spot for the N64 platformer, and this version got a bit of development attention to make sure it works okay on the Evercade. It’s definitely a game that you want to play on the VS with a third-party controller so you can use an analog stick, but thankfully the system s that through an in-beta menu option.

Tate Mode showcases: Toaplan Arcade 3 and 4 486o2h

One of the coolest features of the Evercade EXP handhelds is the Tate Mode toggle, allowing you to play games vertically on the display. So it’s good to see some more Toaplan collections with a bunch of Tate Mode-friendly options. There are, of course, shooters — Batsugun, Truxton II, Dogyuun and more — but we’re particularly interested in games that use a vertical display and still offer genre variety.

Ghox is a take on the Breakout formula, with the sort of flash and intensity you’d expect from a developer that usually makes shooters. There are tons of collectibles falling at you, and it even starts with two balls to juggle by default! There are also Out Zone and FixEight, which are arguably still vertically scrolling shooters but on foot rather than flying around. This subgenre, perhaps most popularized by Pocky & Rocky or Shock Troopers, offers its own sort of fun and the ability to control the pace a bit more.

Old computer weirdness: Thalamus and Bitmap Brothers Collections 3ad3r

The selection in the Evercade library has always been tinted by the company’s UK origins, and nothing makes that clearer than the wide array of old computer game representation. Thalamus Collection 1 includes 11 Commodore 64 games from the late 1980s and 1990s. In our experience, the C64 library is a sort of “you had to be there” experience, with “there” meaning “Europe in the 1980s,” and it’s not the easiest to encounter for the first time today. Still, we did have some fun with action-shooter Retrograde.

The Bitmap Brothers Collection 2 offers a selection of Amiga games, which are certainly also quirky but a bit more palatable to modern sensibilities. The Cadaver games are isometric adventure games that take a bit of time to learn to control, but they’re charming. The Chaos Engine 2 is the top of the bunch for us, a top-down action game designed for co-op. And platformer Gods is worth it for the title screen music alone. Added to the collection, perhaps confusingly given the cart’s blue-line categorization, is a console game! The PlayStation port of real-time strategy game Z also makes the cut after missing out on the first, red-line compilation.

New-retro showpieces: Metal Dragon / Life on Mars 18682d

We’re on record saying that the greatest value of the Evercade is in giving modern retrogames accessible cartridge releases, so we’re happy to see that continue with the latest dual-pack. Metal Dragon is an ‘80s-inspired run-and-gun game that unfortunately makes the number-one mistake in games: falsely thinking it’s extremely funny. We wanted to enjoy its action levels and modern approach to controls, but its writing — a Metal Gear spoof seemingly penned by an “edgy” teen boy in detention — is pretty much insufferable.

Life on Mars fares significantly better, thankfully. It’s a Metroid-style exploration platformer, set on a Martian base where all the robots are attacking you as you land to re-establish communications and find out what happened. We wish the controls were a bit tighter — jumping in tight spaces can be particularly irritating — but there’s enjoyment to be found here.

Most of these Evercade cartridges are available now. The Metal Dragon/Life on Mars dual pack and Toaplan Arcade 4 are slated for release in December 2024. For more of Siliconera’s Evercade coverage, check out our archive.

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Blaze Entertainment has always positioned the Evercade as a sort of ecosystem, home to lots of hardware variations that could all play the same cartridges. And it’s continued to revise and update the handheld and TV-based options! But… perhaps there are more sorts of things? It feels like it was this line of thinking that led to the Evercade Alpha.

The Evercade Alpha is a tabletop arcade machine, designed to evoke its larger brethren and tailored primarily for solo play. It’s honestly a bit larger than we expected, occupying a space about halfway between the Arcade1up machines of the world and micro-cabinets like the Taito Egret II Mini. It’s just over 16 inches tall with a 12-by-10 base, and the screen clocks in at an eight-inch diagonal. The result is functional but not quite so evocative, a comfortable experience for one with multiplayer treated as the ancillary experience it should be for a screen this small.

As long-time fans of the Neo Geo MVS, an arcade cabinet with two cartridge slots does give us a bit of enjoyment just as a concept! The power button is decorated to look like a coin return, which is a nice touch. There are other nice accents, like a light-up swappable marquee and a headphone jack. A note about the headphone jack, though: if you think you’re using it to play quietly but you’re still using the arcade controls, you might still be disturbing those nearby! Those things are clacky, as they probably should be.

Speaking of those controls, Sanwa buttons are available on the deluxe model, but the standard model we're reviewing has a totally serviceable set. Can we tell the difference? Yeah, occasionally. But any arcade game worth its salt designed around the controls wearing out, so these seem fine enough to us! Also: no one should be trying to use an Alpha at Evo.

The Alpha is available in two models, both centered around built-in Capcom games. The version we’ve reviewed is the Mega Man Edition, which showcases that franchise’s two arcade releases. Mega Man: The Power Battle and Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters turn the console action platformer into a boss rush, with selectable paths through them built around bosses from particular games. You can fight as Mega Man, Proto Man and Bass, and if you plug in a controller, you can play co-op too. (The sequel also adds Duo. Are there Duo fans out there?)

Also included are Final Fight, Carrier Air Wing, Knights of the Round and Strider. This selection of games offers a variety of genres, which is nice! It makes it feel more like a classic arcade experience, wandering around and playing the different games you find. The other model, Street Fighter Edition, includes Street Fighter II’ Champion Edition, Super Street Fighter II Turbo, Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, and the three Street Fighter Alpha games. That’s obviously great for fans of Street Fighter, though it leans pretty heavily on Puzzle Fighter (or your Evercade library) to provide some variety.

The Evercade compatibility means the Alpha can play a whole host of other games too, and this might be especially appealing for the company’s purple-box line of arcade titles. With the horizontal display and button configuration, it feels most at home with ‘90s releases! Our top recommendations: In the Hunt from the Irem 1 cart and Snow Bros. 2 from Toaplan 4. It’s also a good display for 16-bit games with more of an arcade sensibility, like the Renovation and Sunsoft carts. In general, that era of saturated pixel art just works best. (Stay tuned for more in-depth coverage of the latest Evercade cartridges soon!)

Still, you can play any Evercade cartridges on this thing! And to do so in multiplayer, you just plug in a controller. Blaze sells its own, largely designed for the Evercade VS, but scrappy community have found that many other controllers will work, too. There’s even for two three-player arcade games by using both controller ports: Knights of the Round and the Technos Arcade 1 cartridge inclusion The Combatribes. We can confirm that they work! We cannot, however, confirm that three people standing around an 8-inch screen are going to have the best time.

Before checking it out for ourselves, we’ll it: we thought the Evercade Alpha would be more like the category of arcade-looking desk toys than a legitimate way to play games. After spending time with it, though, we think it’s just barely big enough to enjoy as a solo experience, and the Evercade library access patches up the biggest weakness of home arcades that leads to them quickly collecting dust. (But yes, it’s also for looking cool.)

The Evercade Alpha releases November 28, 2024 for $249.99, and a pre-order discount is available until that date.

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The Hyper Mega Tech! Super Pocket from Evercade maker Blaze Entertainment is intended as an easy entry point for its ecosystem of cartridges, as well as an affordable standalone stocking stuffer candidate. We looked at the first two devices in the line, showcasing built-in games from Capcom and Taito, but now the company’s added two more options: Technos and Atari.

The Super Pocket is a 60-buck device that takes the full game-playing capability of the Evercade EXP handheld and fits it into the form factor of a particularly robust bar of soap. There are a few compromises, as we discussed before: the inputs are a little stiffer, and the shoulder button placement isn’t the best. It seems like it’d be fine for kids, though we see it fitting into an adult’s life a bit better as a portable companion device for the TV-tethered Evercade VS (and VS-R). That way, if you’re really serious about playing something, you can upgrade your setup in a pinch but still keep a pocketable option.

For the first time we’ve seen in Evercade history, these Super Pockets cause something of a licensing overlap. The first two were Capcom, a company that Blaze has found it easier to license as built-in software, and Taito, which has only appeared on that one device. The second wave of Super Pockets, Technos and Atari? Those companies have a history with Evercade. That said, both of those licensors’ carts are out of print, so it might not affect that many of you?

Still, if you want to know the breakdown, here it is! The Technos Super Pocket contains 15 games. Five were on the Technos home cart: Crash ‘n’ the Boys, Double Dragon, Super Double Dragon, Super Spike V’Ball and River City Ransom. The three from that cart that didn’t make it: the NES versions of Double Dragon 2, Renegade and Super Dodge Ball. Six inclusions were on the Technos arcade collection: Block Out, The Combatribes, Double Dragon 2, Double Dragon 3, Minky Monkey and Mysterious Stones. That leaves only motorcycle action game Battle Lane Vol. 5 and wrestling title Mania Challenge as that cart’s only exclusives.

The brand-new-to-Blaze titles on the Technos model are the Game Boy port of Double Dragon, the arcade version of Super Dodge Ball and the original arcade Double Dragon release. It’s perhaps understandable that these weren’t on the old carts — none of them are really the preferred version of their games — but for Technos fans, they’re cool to see here.

The Atari Super Pocket has a whopping 50 games, so there’s both a ton of overlap and a generous list of exclusives! So given that, let’s look at the new games in particular. First, it’s an opportunity to fill in the gaps of Blaze’s already-fairly-generous Lynx representation. There's Kung Food, the groceries-themed beat-’em-up known for how weird it is. Rounding out the selection is Dirty Larry: Renegade Cop, Robo-Squash, Turbo Sub and Warbirds.

This also marks the first appearance of the Atari 5200. Bounty Bob Strikes Back!, Countermeasure, Final Legacy, Miner 2049’er and Xari Arena make for a rather flattering cameo for the ill-fated system’s library. As we found out when covering Atari 50, the software wasn't necessarily there for that platform to succeed. Still! Nice to see. There are a handful of other exclusives, too! Like maybe you’re a big fan of Berzerk and Frenzy? That said, players have had a ton of opportunities to get budget devices with some Atari games on it. So it's nice for it to be part of the lineup, but probably less interesting for a more plugged-in audience.

We noted this when we talked about the first batch, but this approach really allows them to make the systems fun just by swapping out the colors. Technos is blue and white, while Atari is black and red. There was even a limited edition woodgrain model, which was a nice touch! This larger lineup introduces the possibility for swapping the decorative cartridge slot cover, but with the options we have now, we’re not sure there’s one that makes sense. (Also, as a minor note: the white in the Technos model is not the off-white of all the Evercade cartridges, so just be prepared for that not to match.) We’re big fans of Technos around here just generally, but we’d understand choosing the Atari model as a blind gift for a young relative. Those games are timeless for a reason.

Blaze Entertainment’s latest Hyper Mega Tech! Super Pocket models, Technos Edition and Atari Edition, are available now. For more coverage of the company’s Evercade line of devices and game collections, check out our archive.

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Blaze Entertainment announced that its next Evercade classic collection cartridge will be Legacy of Kain Collection. That will feature two games, which are Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain and Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, and follows similar collections for series like Duke Nukem and Tomb Raider. 

This new collection will launch in September 2024. Pre-orders aren’t open at sites like Funstock or Amazon. However, the Duke Nukem Collection I cartridge was $23.11, and Tomb Raider Collection I costs $28.89. Also, like all cartridges, people will be able to use it on the EXP-R handheld, VS-R console, Alpha, and Super Pocket.

As for the titles, both involve the opportunity to play the 32-bit games on a newer console and handheld. Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain helps set the stage. In it, players control Kain, a man turned into a vampire who is defeating corrupt Circle of Nine Pillars and ascend to power. As a result of that crusade, the events of Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver occur. In it, Kain’s former lieutenant Raziel is punished for growing wings by Kain and sent to his death, but instead he becomes a soul reaver tasked with defeating Kain to restore the natural order.

Here’s the first trailer for the Evercade collection, which shows how both games look when running on the systems. 

We may also see more Legacy of Kain games soon, as there were SDCC 2024 figures on display of Kain and Raziel. What was interesting about those is that the placards for them didn’t refer to the original titles. Instead, both featured Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver I & II Remastered branding, suggesting those two entries will return via remaster releases. 

Legacy of Kain Collection, which features the games Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain and Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, will appear for the Evercade in September 2024.

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Blaze Entertainment announced its new Evercade Alpha tabletop arcade cabinets that both come with Capcom titles and use Evercade cartridges. The two launch models debut in November 2024 and will cost $249.99/£229.99/€249.99, though the pre-order price when orders open on June 4, 2024 will be $229.99/£199.99/€229.99.

Both of the Evercade Alpha cabinets are designed to sit on top of a table, and each one features six games built into it. The Street Fighter variant includes Street Fighter II Champion Edition, Street Fighter Alpha, Street Fighter Alpha 2, Street Fighter Alpha 3, Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, and Super Street Fighter II Turbo. The one billed as the Mega Man model comes with Carrier Air Wing, Final Fight, Knights of the Round, Mega Man: The Power Battle, Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters, and Strider. 

The cabinets have 8”IPS screens that a 4:3 resolution. USB controllers are ed for two-player multiplayer. The marquee bar lights up, and the cabinets each come with three different ones that can be placed in. You can also use headphones with it. Not to mention, there is a slot for Evercade cartridges, so someone could play additional games.

Here’s the launch trailer for the devices.

And here is the official art for each cabinet.

The Evercade Alpha cabinets will launch in November 2024, and those with Evercade cartridges can use them with the tabletop units.

The post Evercade Alpha Tabletop Arcade Machines Can Use Cartridges appeared first on Siliconera.

Blaze Entertainment announced new versions of its Evercade EXP handheld and VS console, which are the Evercade EXP-R and VS-R. Both will appear in July 2024 worldwide, and the handheld will be less expensive than its predecessor. 

Both the new Evercade console and handheld models will look different than the original variants. Instead of red and white being the highlight colors, they are black and turquoise instead. They will also each come with a Giga Cart. However, Blaze didn’t note what the free games on the cartridge will be. 

As for the prices, the new handheld experienced the major price change. The Evercade EXP handheld is $149.99/£129.99/€149.99, and the EXP-R is going to be $99.99/£99.99/€119.99. The Evercase VS console starts at $99.99/£89.99/€99.99, and the VS-R will just be $99.99/£89.99/€109.99. 

Here’s the latest trailer going over the redesigned systems and showing how they look from different angles. It also lets you get a better look at the button placements and games running on the devices.

The Evercade EXP-R and VS-R will release in July 2024, and people can start placing pre-orders for the two of them on April 30, 2024. The previous versions of both systems are immediately available worldwide.

The post Evercade EXP-R Handheld and Evercade VS-R Console Coming appeared first on Siliconera.

Blaze Entertainment’s Evercade platform keeps on going, holding true (so far) to its promise to its hardware releases with a library of cross-compatible cartridges. We’re taking a look at the most recent suite of carts, giving you the lowdown on what they offer and who should consider them.

Indie Heroes Collection 3 4y6j6p

Always a highlight of the library, the Indie Heroes Collection installments batch together recently-developed retro games that cameo as a ed Game of the Month on the systems in the preceding year. A weird inclusion this time: Bubble Seahorse Adventures, which runs natively and sets off all sorts of uncanny valley signals in our brains when we see it running on a platform for retro games. Native ports can work well on the platform, when done right (like Cathedral), but this one feels off.

One of our favorites is Bone Marrow, which takes a very mobile-like slide puzzle and puts a fantasy dungeon-crawling skin atop it. Also a joy is Big2Small. In that game, you use the D-pad to slide animals until they hit an obstacle, using them as aids for each other to guide them each to particular squares. Generally, this cartridge works to mitigate the Evercade’s biggest weakness, which is slower-paced, thoughtful games. And we approve wholeheartedly.

Fans of the single-player puzzles of ChuChu Rocket! should check out the similarly-named Chew Chew Mimic, and VS owners can have some fun with friends in Chibi Monster Br4wl. For a full list of inclusions, you can check out the official Evercade page.

The C64 Collection 3 1a3i43

We’ll it to having less of a nostalgia for the Commodore 64, as American console-heads, but the love and attention that Blaze is giving to the platform is enviable. This third collection adds 13 more games, including ones as well-known as Boulder Dash and as obscure as… Break Dance? The latter’s a strange inclusion on the surface, but it’s one of the first attempts at rhythm gaming and has a Space Channel 5-like repeat-after-me structure.

The Commodore 64 doesn’t make for the most natural fit here — you’ll have to use a virtual keyboard sometimes — but it definitely could be worse. If you’re new to a game, though, we strongly recommend a thorough reading of its section of the manual to explain what’s going on and how to control it. More than consoles, these computer games assume you’ll do that and don’t bother explaining things on-screen.

If you paid any attention at all to the Evercade platform before this article, you probably know about these two Duke Nukem compilations. Launched alongside a commemorative version of the VS, they pull together titles from the franchise’s long history. Collection 1 is built around Duke Nukem 1+2 Remastered, a native port for Evercade of the original side-scrollers, and also adds Duke Nukem 3D: Total Meltdown, the FPS’ PS1 port, for variety.

The second collection has some deeper cuts. Time to Kill and Land of the Babes are PlayStation games with a third-person perspective and a lot of nods to Tomb Raider. Duke Nukem Advance is more of a technological marvel than anything else, getting the full 3D FPS experience up and running on the Game Boy Advance. It remixes a lot of Duke 3D assets to do its own thing, and… just don’t play this one on the VS. Your fun with this in 2024 is inversely proportional to the screen size you play it on.

Demons of Asteborg / Astebros 3l3a3l

We think the Evercade is at its best when it’s showcasing labors of love that wouldn’t usually otherwise carve out a spot on your shelf, and these indie two-packs do that well. Demons of Asteborg is a modern Sega Genesis action-adventure game, with exploration and platforming elements along the way. The animation is smooth and impressive, making for a game that makes you double-check whether it can actually run on original hardware. (Yep, it can!) Along with the gorgeous visuals comes a level of difficulty that is no joke. Perhaps understandably, it’s built for an audience that’s loved action games for decades and played the old ones so much that they needed something new.

Astebros, the included semi-sequel, ratchets down the barrier of entry a few notches, thankfully. It also brings in co-op and roguelike elements, and polishes some of the controls to feel more like its new-retro brethren. You can choose from three characters with different styles, and it’s an especially good time with an Evercade VS, a friend and some snacks. More than anything else in this lineup, this could lure in a pal who usually isn’t down to play older releases.

Goodboy Galaxy / Witch ‘n Wiz 6la3h

Witch ‘n Wiz is an NES block-pushing puzzle game in the vein of Lolo or Sokoban. Your goal is to defeat all the monsters by moving to the same square. There's lots of failure states, so there are two previous buttons dedicated to undoing and resetting the board. It's very much a game about gravity; pushing blocks off platforms and destroying temporary s is part of every solution, but you have to collect things in the right order.

Goodboy Galaxy, a newly-developed GBA platformer, stars a space-pup wandering about and retrieving gadgets and apps to unlock new abilities. The animation in the game nails a very GBA-specific brand of adorable. The environments are bright and colorful, if a bit utilitarian at the expense of world-building; you’ll find gameplay challenge, if not a believable biome. Also the dog is very good!

One cool thing about this release: it includes physical goodies! There are Goodboy Galaxy stickers and a hand-drawn guide map for Witch ‘n Wiz. We imagine this is the sort of thing that comes and goes based on Blaze’s profit margins for a given release, but we like seeing ‘em.

Evercade cartridges work on the Evercade EXP handheld, Evercade VS home system and even the budget-line Hyper Mega Tech! Super Pocket models. For more coverage of the platform, check out our archive.

The post Latest Evercade Cartridges Span Decades of Nostalgia appeared first on Siliconera.

We’ve covered Blaze Entertainment’s efforts to build a licensed retrogame platform with physical cartridges in the Evercade, but for some players, even that cost of entry was a bit too steep. It’s possible, then, that the company’s latest device could be of interest. Released under the “Hyper Mega Tech!” branding instead of Evercade, the Super Pocket brings the price tag down below $60, and it packs its own built-in lineups of Capcom or Taito games to serve as a standalone release. But that Evercade cartridge slot? That makes it a lot more intriguing than most low-end games machines.

We were expecting perhaps for the Super Pocket to take a few design cues from the original Evercade, itself a cheaper device than the EXP with similar components. Instead, it goes for the more durable and modern look of the EXP, a choice that makes a lot of sense and is better. Returning briefly to the original Evercade to compare for this piece showed us just how far manufacturer Blaze has come in the design of its devices, learning a lot about materials and ergonomics along the way.

The color schemes, chosen to go with the built-in game collections, are a lot of fun. The Capcom edition uses the signature royal blue and yellow. The Taito model runs with a teal and black scheme. And already, we’re seeing it’s not a rote template; Blaze used teal buttons on the black faceplate for Taito and kept the whole front blue for Capcom. If they keep iterating for potential future models, that could be pleasant to see.

What we also expected? Tech spec downgrades. And it doesn’t seem like they’re here in a significant enough way to notice! We tested the full gamut of Evercade cartridges on the device, including some that the other hardware doesn’t run the best. The Super Pocket didn’t flinch. Some of the original PlayStation titles in the library frankly don’t run well through their own technical failings, but our experience was indistinguishable between hardware. We’ll have to return to this when we’re able to try out the Nintendo 64 emulation, but for now? We’re impressed.

Each Super Pocket has a built-in library of arcade games. Capcom titles return after their appearance on the Evercade EXP, making clear that this sort of licensing is apparently a lot easier for Blaze than a cartridge. The standouts in this collection are Street Fighter II’: Hyper Fighting, Ghouls ‘n Ghosts and the 1942 trilogy. Capcom dominated arcades in the late ‘80s and ‘90s, and for good reason: these games stand the test of time.

There’s also Final Fight, which we like a lot but more for its co-op play which isn’t possible on the Super Pocket. Strider and Bionic Commando are here, too, along with Wolf of the Battlefield: MERCS and Forgotten Worlds. Our favorite of the bunch is Captain Commando, a criminally overlooked beat-’em-up that lets you play as a baby in a mech.

The Taito model has all the usual suspects from the company’s arcade heyday. The front of the box shouts about Space Invaders and Bubble Bobble, which makes sense, as no other Taito properties have nearly as much global popularity. Puzzle Bobble (also known as Bust A Move) is here too. The Taito collection skews a bit older, with more ‘80s games ing 1978’s Space Invaders in the bunch. This means a different sort of sensibility than the Capcom set.

The remaining arcade inclusions have less consistent player awareness, but we know some people who love them. They are: Operation Wolf, Rastan, The NewZealand Story, Cadash, Chack’n Pop, Don Doko Don, Elevator Action, The Fairyland Story, Football Champ, Growl, Volfied, Kiki Kaikai, The Legend of Kage and Liquid Kids. As you can see, the Taito collection makes up for its less-known lineup with a larger selection of releases.

Both collections feature almost all arcade games, with one console cameo tacked on. Capcom adds NES Mega Man, while Taito includes Genesis release Space Invaders ‘91. We imagine Mega Man is the most affordable way Blaze could put the Mega Man logo on the box, which makes sense at retail, but Space Invaders ‘91 is a harder inclusion to explain.

So where are the cost reductions in the Super Pocket, then? The answer appears to be build quality. It’s durable, in a Nintendo 2DS sort of way, made so that kids can’t break it. But adults will notice a few things! The tinny speaker emits noises accurately, but not really with a robust sound you’d want to experience it if you have other choices. The shoulder buttons are… there, if you need them for cartridge compatibility, but they’re in the one awkward position available to put them and need a peculiar amount of leverage to press.

The main concern is likely the buttons. They’re functional, but a bit stiff and unresponsive at times. It’s the sort of setup that would be totally fine with games that are more about decisions than reflexes! Unfortunately, that remains the weakness of the Evercade game library, with its focus on arcade action. And the built-in Super Pocket games exclusively fall into this category. When testing a game we know well, Taito classic Puzzle Bobble, the cursor would blow past our target with a simple light touch.

The Super Pocket s an “Easy Mode” option, which is a streamlined setting to turn all the arcade games’ dip switches down to their most forgiving settings. This is, we presume, to make the device more approachable to young children, so it can be something of an entry point to retro games. We can confirm that it does what it says, letting us feel for once in our lives like we’re good at Street Fighter II. Combined with a form factor that’s definitely made for smaller hands, it could make for an intriguing kid gift.

(It should be noted, though: both devices carry a PEGI 12 rating for the included games. Nothing here is really egregious, but there’s fighting and guns and explosions in some titles, so keep that in mind if you’re handing one to a toddler or something.)

We don’t mind the 4-by-3 screen of the Super Pocket. In many ways, this makes more sense for most games! It’s nice to see Blaze find a supplier for them! And while the separate Hyper Mega Tech! branding is a bit strange, the idea that they’re reserving the Evercade name for higher-quality builds at least shows they’re sensitive to that stuff.

The Hyper Mega Tech! Super Pocket is available now for $59, in Capcom and Taito models. It’s compatible with the Evercade cartridge library. For more Evercade coverage, including recommendations for which carts to pick up first, check out our archive.

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Glover is coming back once again, and this time a new port of it will appear on the Evercade console and handheld. It will show up in the Piko Interactive Collection 4 on April 30, 2024 for $19.99/£17.99€19.99.

Glover started out as an N64 and PC game back in the day, before eventually heading to the PlayStation as well. It stars a wizard’s glove named Glover trying to retrieve lost crystals that were transformed into balls in a platformer adventure. In 2021, Piko Interactive shared an early rom of the N64 version. This was followed by its PC return in 2022. It is also eventually heading to the PS4, PS5, Switch, and Xbox Series X. 

First, here’s the trailer showing how the new port of Glover looks when running on an Evercade alongside the other Piko Interactive Collection 4 games.

Here are all the games that will appear on that cartridge:

• Bad Street Brawler
• The Fidgetts
• Glover
• Mermaids of Atlantis
• Risky Woods
• Skuljagger: Revolt of the Westicans
• Star X
• Street Racer
• Target: Renegade
• Zero Tolerance Underground

There’s also a general announcement video bringing up how Glover marks the first time the console and handheld will offer 64-bit games. It also offers a peek at how it looks on the system.

The Piko Interactive Collection 4 cartridge will come to the Evercade on April 30, 2024. People can start pre-ordering it on February 29, 2024. 

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Blaze Entertainment, the company behind the Evercade, announced a line of Super Pocket handheld systems that come with games built-in and can use Evercade cartridges. Each one resembles a Game Boy in of shape. At launch, there will be Capcom and Taito editions. These will cost $59/£49/€59 each, and people will see them at Amazon, Argos, Best Buy, Funstock, Game, and Video Games Plus. They are expected to ship out in October 2023.

Both versions of the device have 2.8” IPS screens, built-in UIs, and charge via an included USB-C cable. Each one allows you to create save states as you play. There is also an “Easy Mode” options for the titles built into each one. The Capcom one has 12 games, while the Taito one includes 17.

Here’s a video showing both the Super Pocket Capcom and Taito Edition handhelds, as well as how they work with Evercade cartridges.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9s8MWrY-zJc&ab_channel=HyperMegaTech

Here are the games on the Capcom Edition handheld:

• 1942
• 1943
• 1944 : The Loop Master
• Bionic Commando
• Captain Commando
• Final Fight
• Forgotten Worlds
• Ghouls ‘n Ghosts
• Mega Man (Console Version)
• Street Fighter II’: Hyper Fighting
• Strider
• Wolf of the Battlefield: MERC

And these are the Taito games:

• Bubble Bobble
• Cadash
• Chack'n Pop
• Don Doko Don
• Elevator Action
• The Fairyland Story
• Football Champ
• Growl
• Kiki Kaikai
• The Legend of Kage
• Liquid Kids
• The New Zealand Story
• Operation Wolf
• Rastan
• Space Invaders
• Space Invaders ‘91 (Console Version)
• Volfied

The Super Pocket Capcom Edition and Taito Edition handhelds will appear in October 2023 worldwide. Pre-orders open on July 14, 2023. One of the most recent Evercase systems is the VS, which will get a Duke Nukem variant.

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Blaze Entertainment held its May 2023 Evercade Showcase and announced a number of new game collections. Most notably, two Duke Nukem game collection cartridges are on the way, and there will also be a special Evercade VS Atomic Edition variant of the console based on the series. The presentation also noted there will be updates to the systems that add features like per-game button-mapping.

Duke Nukem Collection 1 will give Evercade owners Duke Nukem 1+2 Remastered and Duke Nukem 3. The second collection features Time to Kill, Land of the Babes, and Advance. Both will appear in November 2023, with pre-orders opening in August 2023. As for the Atomic Edition of the console, only 2,000 will be made. They will be sold for £119.99/$148.66 and each one will include a certificate of authenticity. Funstock pre-orders are open now ahead of its November 2023 debut while supplies last.

Here’s the list of all new Evercade game collections that showed up during the May 2023 showcase:

• Delphine Software Cinematique Collection 1: September 2023
• Duke Nukem Collection 1: November 2023
• Duke Nukem Collection 2: November 2023
• Piko Interactive Arcade 1: August 2023
• Sunsoft Collection 1: September 2023
• Sydney Hunter Collection: August 2023

And this is the full Evercade Showcase:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INymNC2rbzw&ab_channel=Evercade
A second Evercade Showcase will also appear in 2023. That one will air sometime in July 2023. It’s billed as an “indie showcase.”

The next Evercade game releases will be Piko Interactive Arcade 1 and Sydney Hunter Collection in August 2023.

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These days, the Evercade game library’s depth and variety are starting to rival many of the full libraries of the consoles the platform emulates. The latest cart, Indie Heroes 2, is a great example of that, showcasing creativity and variety from a slate of hobbyist developers. Want to know more? Hey, great! Conveniently we have more article to read if you just keep scrolling a little bit.

The Evercade Indie Heroes Collection 2 cartridge compiles games that appeared on the Evercade VS as monthly bonuses. While that was a nice little digital treat, Evercade fans (and the games’ developers) probably appreciate the more permanent physical nature of a cartridge release. (Also, it’s entirely possible that this was the plan all along? In which case the Game of the Month thing seems like savvy marketing.)

Our favorite title in the bunch might be Lowtek Games’ Tapeworm Disco Puzzle. In this game, you’re extending and maneuvering a worm to collect various items. It felt a lot like Blazing Rangers without the time pressure. And in a compilation with nearly a dozen options for action? It was nice to catch our breath and think through solutions.

While all the games have ended up on the Evercade, they were built for a variety of retro platforms. This includes two Game Boy titles: Lunar Journey and Gelatinous: Humanity Lost. These especially test the creators’ ability to build within constraints, as already-limiting old console specs are about as simple as they can get on the venerable green-tinged brick. Lunar Journey is essentially a point-and-click adventure. In it, you find items to solve whimsical problems and let you progress on your mission to collect resources on the moon. Gelatinous is a platformer with some real Metroid II vibes, in of ability acquisition, level design and Game Boy-era “cinematic” presentation.

On the other end of things, no included title pushes visuals as much as Eyra, The Crow Maiden. Which is weird, given the game’s origins! What was once an NES project also saw ports to 16-bit systems through crowdfunding stretch goals, and the Genesis build is what appears in this collection. We suppose this meant the focus really was on the visual differences. The result is a very saturated, detailed world for some very classic-feeling platforming. It’s interesting to see a game look like this but deliver more plodding, NES-style movement and attacks! It worked enough for us, though.

The game count gets a little fuzzy with the inclusion of the Cowlitz Gamers Adventure and Gruniożerca trilogies. These two “games” from developers Lukasz Kur and M-Tee each offer a variety of experiences within the same shared theme and world. We’re particularly fond of the second and third Gruniożerca games! These are two very different approaches to block traversal puzzles. You hop around as a guinea pig, placing and removing limited blocks in 2 and stepping on them a certain number of times in 3. The Cowlitz games are screen-based collection platformers, with the scale and co-op approach of the last two feeling quite Bubble Bobble-like.

It will surprise absolutely no one to learn that many people who love retro games enough to make one of their own are big fans of Zelda. Two games in the collection, Anguna: Scourge of the Goblin King and Reknum Souls Adventure, seek to iterate on those sorts of ideas. Anguna takes the dungeon format and adds stats and experience. Reknum has a full Hyrule-esque overworld, as well as some side-scrolling sequences. If you’re more into the exploration and mysteries part of Zelda? Reknum has you covered. Less talking, more slashing? Try Anguna.

Nix: The Paradox Relic could be of interest, too, which we’d quickly describe as NES Metroid starring the Star Fox cast. Also included in the collection are Nessy the Robot, Beer Slinger, and Yeah Yeah Beebiss II.

As with other Evercade carts, Indie Heroes 2 includes a full-color manual explaining the games’ basics and developer origins. With a pack like this, that’s especially nice! Often, knowing the story behind an indie new-retro game makes playing a lot more fun. Also, the extra bit of credit for the people who did all the hard work? It’s probably appreciated.

The Evercade Indie Heroes Collection 2 cartridge launches January 31, 2023. It s a library of dozens of compilations for the platform. Want a closer look at those? Check out our Evercade archive.

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A little over a year ago, we took a look at the games available on the Evercade platform at the time of the launch of the Evercade VS home system. Since then, there’s been a big focus on arcade releases in the Evercade lineup, as almost a dozen cartridges have ed the library. We’ve been checking out the most recent collections, and we’re ready to guide you to the best Evercade VS and Evercade EXP games to start in 2023!

The Best New-Retro Evercade VS and Evercade EXP Games 4m6p2g

One great er of the Evercade has been the new-retro community. And with good reason! More players and a physical cartridge release have undeniable appeal. Picking the best example of this is a tough choice with so many options. Still, we think the Alwa’s Awakening / Cathedral dual pack is the best place to start. The two are a good pairing for a number of reasons, starting with both appealing to the same sort of player. They’re about exploring and collecting and generally spending time in an action platforming world.

How they get there is different, though. Cathedral, which has seen release on modern platforms as well, is the Evercade’s first and so far only native port. The emulation on the Evercade devices is fine, but seeing something run natively and fill the screen shows just how good things could be. We know the work is probably a real barrier. Nevertheless, more native ports of games with old aesthetics would be wonderful.

Alwa’s Awakening gets there the other way around. Rather than a native port, the version here is the one developer Elden Pixels crafted specifically for the NES. The original game certainly felt like it wanted to be like those games! Building specifically for that spec, though, gives it just a bit more authenticity.

For more: We talked about it in our previous version of this guide, but Mega Cat Studios Collection 2 continues to find its way back into the cartridge slot through its innovative ideas and pure gameplay variety! And stay tuned for our focused look on the first new collection of 2023, Indie Heroes Collection 2, soon.

The Best Japanese Evercade VS and Evercade EXP Games 5c351l

This is one area in which Blaze Entertainment’s licensing team has really been putting in some work. And, of course, around here? We’re grateful for that. It’s been great to see the continued dedication to preserving and showcasing the platform’s local United Kingdom developers, but adding more Japanese studios broadens Evercade’s appeal.

They’re still doing things the Evercade way, though, with libraries full of games unlikely to get these collections elsewhere. It’s certainly hard not to miss some bigger releases, but those are far more likely to be on Nintendo Switch Online or dedicated microconsoles. A great recent example: Jaleco Arcade 1! You may have played a few of these, but 64th Street: A Detective Story has a hard time making compilations over something like Final Fight and Rod Land has to deal with competition like Bubble Bobble. Here, though, they feel special. And they also bring the distinctive Japanese feel that a retro platform needs.

For more: We took a deeper dive into Irem Arcade 1, Toaplan Arcade 1 and the EXP’s built-in Capcom titles in our review of the new handheld. The Technos and Data East arcade collections also have a lot to like. And, well, there are some interesting ones in our next pick...

The Best Single-Player Evercade VS and Evercade EXP Games 1o1z2j

With both quality and variety in spades, Renovation Collection 1 is arguably the best cartridge available for the Evercade platform. The publisher is known for picking up and releasing many of the deeper cuts of the Sega Genesis library. These came both from its parent company, Telenet Japan, and other developers. With a few small exceptions, this collection is dedicated to solo play, with a host of shoot-’em-up and RPG titles to keep you playing for quite a while.

Included in Renovation Collection 1 are some choice titles from revered studio Wolf Team. Like RPG Arcus Odyssey! And action-platformer El Viento! Oh, and Dino Land, a quirky pinball game that’s a lot more fun than you’d think? There’s a reason people love the Wolf Team library so intensely, and though we love the Tales franchise around here, it’s nice to see the genre variety of the studio’s early days.

For more: The library is expanding and covering up a lot more of its genre weaknesses, but Codemasters Collection 1 and Piko Interactive Collection 1 still offer a good variety. There are also some fun inclusions in the new Gremlin Collection 1, even including a soccer management game.

The Best Multiplayer Evercade VS Games 53p6a

There are tons of great two-player options for Evercade VS play, bolstered by the growing Arcade cartridge line. Somewhat more elusive is a good four-player centerpiece for party play. Enter Morphcat Games Collection 1, with its two Micro Mages campaigns.

While Micro Mages’ aesthetic may initially remind players of TowerFall, its dedicated co-op approach lends it a different feel. Those titular “micro” mages aren’t just personality; making them so small lets worlds be much larger than you’re used to seeing from an NES game, and two whole campaigns mean you’ll be playing for a while.

For more: All the Arcade collections offer some fun titles! And you can’t go too wrong with a few rounds of Worms.

The Evercade EXP handheld retails for $149.99, with the IREM Arcade 1 cart and built-in Capcom titles. The Evercade VS home system is also still available. For more coverage on the Blaze Evercade ecosystem and its games, check out our archive.

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